The construction of pin and socket type connectors in the very small sizes utilized, for example, in multiple connector plugs for computer circuits, biomedical components and space technology, where the wire gauge may be as small as No. 30AWG and the contacts may be spaced on centers as close as 50 mils, entails severe difficulties, particularly with respect to the provision of sufficient strength so that the connectors can be repeatedly separated and reconnected, while still maintaining good electrical connection and resistance to vibration and other forces encountered in some services. It will be appreciated that the material used in such small connectors must inherently be bendable by forces which are relatively slight and apt to be encountered if any mishandling occurs. It has become the practice in the art to incorporate the flexibility which is required for the maintenance of good electrical contact in the male member, and to recess the male member in a relatively closely fitting insulating pocket, while the female member has sufficient rigidity to be self-supporting and to resist undesired distortion. A successful type of male connector pin which is currently used in the small sizes referred to and which affords very satisfactory performance is the so-called "twist pin," formed of expanded stranded conductor material, but the cost of construction thereof is relatively high, so that in some fields of use where the cost of the pins of such construction is not justified, a strong need exists for a contact pin capable of comparable performance but which can be manufactured at substantially lower cost.
The overall object of the present invention is to provide an improved contact pin construction suitable for use in micro-circuitry and in connectors of very small sizes, as indicated, and which is highly reliable, capable of repeated connection and disconnection, resistant to distortion and to the forces of vibration and acceleration encountered in service, and which is substantially less expensive to manufacture than the so-called "twist-pin" construction.
Other objects and advantages will become apparent upon consideration of the present disclosure in its entirety.